I'll never love again [1]

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

"I don't think your parents like me very much." She told the man behind her. 

"Why do you say that?" He asked, and Iliana could hear the confusion in his voice. She turned her head slightly and traced his features with her eyes. His eyes were beautiful, a deep chocolate brown staring right a her. 

"Your father seems very cold towards me. I always try to be nice, but he always looks at me with disgust." She shrugged and he rubbed her arms reassuringly.

"That is because you're friends with Niklaus." She furrowed her brows and looked at him puzzled. "Father and Niklaus don't get along. He thinks my brother is weak and-"

"He's not!" She exclaimed angrily and he smiled at her. 

"I know that, Iliana. But father doesn't. He hates him and will look for any excuse to belittle him. You were just caught in the crossfire." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well, in that case, I don't care. I will still be friends with Nik." She smiled mischievously then. "Maybe I'll spend time with him in front of your father. Let him tell me anything and I'll curse him." She said playfully and Elijah laughed.

"Have you learned that yet?" She shook her head and then laid it on his shoulder.

"Not yet. But your mother says I am getting better." She says in a low voice and he hums. "She's not my biggest fan either, you know?"

"Maybe she's jealous that you have all my attention now." He says and she laughs, raising her head to look at him. They smile at each other and he leans closer, kissing her softly on the lips. "I love you, Iliana."

"I love you too, Elijah." 

The clock on her nightstand rang loudly, awaking Nat from her sleep. She turned it off quickly, noticing that it was time to get ready. Starting today, she would be training with Elena and Ric. It was about time really, with Stefan being a ripper again and Mikael coming to town, they needed to know how to defend themselves. She thought about Klaus and what he had done to Elena and Stefan. Forcing Stefan to turn his humanity off and then feed on Elena? He had crossed the line. But even then, she couldn't help but have doubts about killing him. She still hadn't remembered who Mikael was, but deep inside her, she knew bringing him to town was a bad idea.

She stood up and went to her wardrobe, grabbing a pair of red leggings and a red sports bra, putting a black hoodie on top. She grabbed a pair of black running shoes and put her now short hair into a ponytail. She then brushed her teeth and left her room, meeting Elena on top of the stairs. Alaric then walked out of his room and slowly went down the stairs.

"Good morning." Elena told him and he just waved, grabbing his head without saying anything. Nat and Elena exchanged glances, knowing full well that he was hungover. Nat chuckled quietly and followed him to the car, getting in the passenger's seat and Elena in the back. They drove for a few minutes until they arrived at the woods. It was already bright outside when Ric placed one of his dummies on a tree. He put on a sleeve with two stakes in it and walked closer to the dummy.

"So the pressure of your punch ejects the stakes." He said and punched the dummy, the stakes plunging into it. Elena nods and puts a sleeve with stakes on her hand.

"Easy enough." She says before punching the dummy, but the stakes stay in the sleeve. Nat snorts a little and Ric glares at her, making her raise her arms up defensively. "That's weird." Elena says and tries again, but it doesn't work. She hits the sleeve a little, hoping the stakes would come out. "Must be jammed or something."

"You're not strong enough. Better start lifting some weights, put some meat on your bones." He said before walking to his bag. "You too, Nat."

"Thanks for not sugar-coating it." Elena mutters. Ric takes something out of his bag and shows it to both girls.